Clutch.



F. M. FEATHER..

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.16,190B.

@Q2 9?@1. u Patented Nov. 3, 39%.

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FRANK M. PRATHER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Application Bled. March 16, 1908. Serial No. l1121,300.

To all 'whom it may concern: v

Be it known that 1, FRANK MONROE PRA- '1HER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented' new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto a clutch particularly adapted for use in conjunction with explosion motors and especially for explosion motors on automobiles.

The prime object of thisinvention is to provide a mechanism which will take the place of the usual set of transmission gears and which will further provide means for starting the motor. ln accomplishing this object two members are used, the one connected directly to the engine being ordinarily the driving member and the one connected to the vehicle wheels the driven member. On one of these members, preferably the driving member, is mounted a plurality of cylinders in which a corresponding plurality of pistons attached to thedriveni member are adapted to reciprocate. These pistons are eccentrically lconnected to the driven member while. the cylinders are concentrically arranged around the axis of the driving member so that upon any relative rotation ofthe two members, the pistons 'will be. reciprocated in the cylinders. By re-A tarding the action of the pistons in the cylinders the driven member may be more 'or less rigidly locked to the driving member,

and this etarding means is preferably furnished by the compression of a uid, such as air, in the-cylinders behind the pistons. Openings are provided which may be restricted and through which the air must pass from behind the pistons, and thus the amount of locking effort between the two members of the clutch may be regulated. Automatic valves are provided so that air is taken into the cylinders from the atmosphere and is pumped out through these restricted passageways. Connected with these passage-ways is a pressure reservoir into which air may be pumped during the operation o'f the clutch.v When it is desired to start the engine it is only necessary to throw the air from this reservoir' into the cylinders through the valves, which have been arranged for this purpose, and the clutch member connected to the engine may be rotated.

l accomplish the above by means of' the.

device described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1.- is a longitudinal section of my improved clutch lwith the parts in their locked or operative position. Fig. 2.- is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. vFig. 3.d is a section taken kon line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a section taken on line lf-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings l have illustrated the clutch without any of the mechanism of an automobile on which it is preferably mounted, the operation of the parts being the same in whatever combination the clutch is placed, and will be understood without the illustration of any specific mechanism in connection therewith. v i

5 and 6 designate shafts which are continuations of each other, shaft 5 being ordilnarily the driving shaft and shaft 6 the -driven shaft.

In the application of this clutch to an explosion motor yshaft 5 is connected to the motor and shaft 6 to the Ine'chanism driven thereby, such as the 'rearwheels of an automobile. Mounted on shaft 5, preferably keyed thereto, is a circular'frame 7 forming the base of the driving member of the clutch. rIhis frame is provided with aplurality of cylinders 8, preferably three in number and radially spaced around shaft '5. Frame 7 forms a hollow box of general cylindrical shape and is provided on yits end with a cover plate 9 having a bearing 10 fory shaft 6 therein. The inner end of shaft 6 projects into the interior of the frame and is provided with a crank 11 on its end. P istons 12 are adapted to reciprocate 1n cylmders '8 and'are connected to crank 11 by'connecting rod 13, and, as the cylinders lare concentrica'lly arranged around shaft 5 as shown in Fig. 2, the pistons will be reciprocated in the cylinders upon any relative'rotation of shafts 5 and 6. The remaining parts of lthe clutch consist particularly in the'means tothrough frame 7 to a point adjacent shaft 5 as shown in Fig. 1, this port beingv hereinafter termed the compression port. -Frame 7 is provided' with a sleeve 21 surrounding shaft 5 and a hollow ring 22 fits o ver this sleeve and is held thereon by a nut 23.' Ring 22 is stationary while the sleeveand nut revolvewith frame 7 and shaft 5, the sleeve bearing snugly against surface 24 at its inner side. 'Compression ports 20 emerge on this surface and ring 22 is provided with ports 25 leading from its hollow'interior to its inner surface, so that a direct communication is formed through the ring between ports 20 and pipe 2 6 connected to the ring.

Pipe 26 is' provided with a three w'ay valve 27 adapted to either connect the pipe with the atmosphere through outlet 28 or with pipe 29 leading directly t-o pressure reservoir 30.

Leading around valve 27 is asmall by-pass pipe 31 provided with a pressure regulating valve 32. This pressure regulating valve is provided with an adjustable spring 33 counrically opposite positions, so that the actions' ibi' teracting the air pressure in cylinder 34 bc.

hind pistonl valve 35 which -will operate to close the connection through the valve upon the pressure in reservoir 3() reachingI a point high enough to overpower spring 33. Valve Stoppers. 16 are identical in construction and in operation for all three valves. Each is provided with a port 36 on its face adapted to connect port 14 with either port 19 or port 20. In the position shown in the drawings ports 14 and19 are connected together in the lower left handv valve in Fig. 2, it being assumed that crank 11 is traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow and that piston 12 for this yvalve is drawing in air fromthe atmosphere.

Mounted rigidly upon shaft 6 isa hub 40 carrying a slide 41 on its face toward the clutch upon which an eccentric 42 is adapted to be operated. Thiseccentric is provlded with a slot 43 encircling shaft 6 and acting as a stop lto its movement onslide 41.

Mount-ed on hub 40 is a pivoted arm 44 which enters a depression 45 in the eccentric so that the eccentric may be moved on'slide 41 by the movement of arm 44. Arm 44 is connected to a slider 45 which is loosely keyed to shaft 6 and is provided with a groove 47 for connection withl any approved operatlng means to move it along the shaft. ItI will be seen that, by a movement of slider 45, the eccentric may be'thrown into diametof the valves connected thereto will be reversed 4and the whole mechanism operated in a reverse direction of rotation. Eccentric 42 is provided with a strap 50 connected to three arms 51, one of these arms, thelower one, `connecting directly with lever 52 for lower valve 16, the others connecting with the u per Valve levers throu h toggle arms 53. his construction provi es at once for tlie retaining ofthe eccentric strap in a fixed position and for operative connections between the eccentric and the valves.

Eccentric 42 is so placed on shaft 6 in rela tion to the position of crank. 11 that valves Fig. 2, and air is forced into pipe 26. lVhen the eccentric is thrown to its dotted position the actionof the valves is reversed and air is taken in from the compression port and discharged to the atmosphere. In this position when fluid pressure is supplied to the compression ports, the clutch acts as a motor.l taking its feed from the compression ports and exhausting to atmosphere.

In the operation of-iny improved clutch it L will be presumed that shaft 5 is in rotation, or,|in an automobile construction, that the engine has been started and that'shaft 6,

,connected with the traction wheels, is at rest. In this condition valve 2T stands on the position shown in dotted lines and the piston operates to draw in air from the at-A mosphere and'to force it out through pipe 26 and outlet 28. Valve 27 is then gradually thrown into the position shown in full lines andthe pistons immediately beginv to pump against an increasing pressure in pipe 26. An` increasing rotary force is thereby placed' upon the shaft 6 which begins to re volve more and' more rapidly against the re tardation of whatever mechanism it is connected to at its other end. Vhen the valve has reached the position shown in full lines the pistons cease to reciprocate in the cylinders as they soon puin .up a pressure in pipe 26 and ports 20 su cientto rigidly lock shafts 5 and 6 together and transmitpower from one to the other. A small amount of this pressure is allowed to pass through pipe 31 and valve 32 to reservoir 30 until the reservoir is -filled to the pressure for` which valve 32 isset, the connection through the valve then being cut off by the enforced downward movementof piston valve 35.

When it is desired to start shaft 5l and the engine connected thereto, it is first necessary to hold shaft 6 from rotation, which may be easily done in an automobile construction by braking the rear4 wheels. The position of the eccentric is then reversed so that the pistons andvalves operate'in a relative manner opposite to the normal. yValve 27 is thrown into its position to connect pipes 29 and 26 and pressure is admitted to valves 16 to operate pistons 12 in. cylinders 8. The clutchv then operates as `a fluid pressure mollO Illied: on one of said shafts, a. plurality eender tor, the cylinders h` rotated and them shaft 5 and the engine connected thereto. As soon as the engine has keen started, shaft 6 is unlocked andmay'then be connected to shaft 5 as before explained.-

Having described my invention, what l* claim as 'new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. A clutch comprising aand a driven shaft, a plurality of cylinders mmnto Ypistons mounted on the otherof said shafts to reciprocate in said cylinderson. .the relative rotation of the shafts, valves for said eyd'ers'm/ounted thereon, and adjustable tric means actuated by the piston shaft operate said valves..

2. YA clutch comprising a Vdri and a driven member, a cylinder mounted on said driving member, a piston mounted on said driven member and reciprocat in said cylinder, a valve for said cylinder mounted- "thereon and having port connection there- `With, said valve also provided with a port to atmosphere and a third adjustably restricted port, and reversible means to operate said valve by the relative movement of said driw ing and driven members to alternately eonneet the cylinder Aport with the 'atmosphere 4and restricted ports.

3. A' clutch comprisingi'a dri d a driven meinten-a cylinder mounted on said member,' a piston mounted on said driven member and adapted to reciprocate in said cylinder upon the relative movement ed the two members, a valve for said cylinder mounted Athereon and having port oonnection therewith, said valve also provided with a port to atmosphere and with a third compression port, a pressure storage chamber, means to Vconnect said compression port to saidl storage chamber 'or to atmosphere, and reversible means on said driven member te operate said Ivalve to connect the atmosphere and the compression port 'ialternately to the port leading to said cylinder.

' d. A clutch comprising a drivingand a driven member, coperating means on said v members for compressing a fluid, a valve operatedY by the relative movements of said members to control the fluid, storage means der the compressed fluid, and means to adjust and reverse said valve in relation to said compressing means.

ln witnessthat 'll claim 'the foregoing-ll have hereunto subscribedmy name this 6th day oi March,

" FRANK vMl; PRATHER.

Witnesses: l l

Ennemi A. SrnAUsE, @imm lFAmmn. 

